I feel quite flat and deflated today. For me itís always been club over country and always will be but England doing well gives us a lift in such a different way. We all have our views on the things that divide society like Brexit, Theresa bloody May and Corbyn and all that ****, but the majority of the country joins together when England get on a run. The flags, the horns, everyone singing Three Lions, itís just great.

Thereís nothing else in this country that can do that and thatís why thereís no major criticism today because though itís a missed opportunity Southgate and the players have achieved something that hasnít happened on such a scale IMO since maybe Euro 96, 04 at a stretch (we made the quarters in 06 but the performances were so average that the belief wasnít really there) and with the age of the squad and the latter stages being here thereís real hope that it could happen again in two years.

I expect a greater interest in the national side in the coming years, in the friendlies and qualifiers that people were ambivalent to and with the success weíve had in the age groups then hopefully they can kick on.

Great tournament and I hope they get a good reception when they get home.

Yeah I mean I don’t disapprove, it’s far healthier than the usual brutal scapegoating and abuse.

I guess I just don’t think the reality on the pitch has changed anywhere near as much as the emotional response has. Croatia are on a similar level to Iceland, they finished below Iceland in qualifying, but that loss was received as an epochal humiliation whereas this one is going down as a brave bowing to providence.

It was a disappointing performance, closer to Iceland 2016 than Germany 1990/1996. It’s not a game where the players will come off thinking ‘hard fought game and it’s a shame it didn’t fall our way’. They’ll be thinking they didn’t do themselves justice.

Think that says more about the absurdly condescending, disproportionate reception of the Iceland defeat. Croatia are a better team than Iceland though, any midfield with Modric and Rakitic is going to be.

They probably didn't do themselves justice but ultimately I don't really mind. They certainly had done up until then and for a young team to freeze up a bit on such a huge occasion is understandable.

Yeah I mean I don’t disapprove, it’s far healthier than the usual brutal scapegoating and abuse.

I guess I just don’t think the reality on the pitch has changed anywhere near as much as the emotional response has. Croatia are on a similar level to Iceland, they finished below Iceland in qualifying, but that loss was received as an epochal humiliation whereas this one is going down as a brave bowing to providence.

It was a disappointing performance, closer to Iceland 2016 than Germany 1990/1996. It’s not a game where the players will come off thinking ‘hard fought game and it’s a shame it didn’t fall our way’. They’ll be thinking they didn’t do themselves justice.

Yeah, the fact that both Croatia goals were eminently preventable will especially hurt. Having said that, I thought England's back 3 looked shaky pretty much every game I watched them - even against Panama. Pickford bailed them out on more than a few occasions.

Originally Posted by HeathDavisSpeed

I can think of a list of Sydney Grade posters who would contribute a better average post than Bahnz.

Yeah, the fact that both Croatia goals were eminently preventable will especially hurt. Having said that, I thought England's back 3 looked shaky pretty much every game I watched them - even against Panama. Pickford bailed them out on more than a few occasions.

Yeah Pickford has a genuinely top tourney. Looked really assured for the most part. He could be a truly top keeper once his balls drop.

Yeah I wouldn’t be blaming Stones or Walker for the goals really, although they were bad mistakes. But both goals resulted from England losing control of the game by playing too direct, not pressing high enough, and not making the right subs. When they played on the front foot Walker’s pace made him impossible to get behind and Stones’s passing came into its own. When they sat back Walker’s inability to defend the back post was exposed and Stones’s casualness became a weakness instead of a strength. Like the systemic failure forced them into situations that don’t suit them, and that’s where they made mistakes.

"All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher." - Ambrose Bierce

Langeveldt: I of course blame their parents.. and unchecked immigration!GingerFurball: He's Austrian, they tend to produce the odd ****ed up individualBurgey: Be careful dealing with neighbours whose cars don't have wheels but whose houses do.Uppercut: Maybe I just need better strippers

They completely outplayed Croatia in the first half but didn't put the ball in the back of the net. Kane missed two sitters in about two seconds! Then they collapsed in the second half. Might be fitness levels and stamina or lack of game management or experience - or a combination?

Game management and lack of experience was definitely a factor.

I didn't think England reacted very well to conceding an equaliser either in this game or against Colombia.

I will caveat this by stating that I only saw the second half of both the Colombia and Croatia games and didn't see the Sweden game, but I thought Harry Kane was really poor in the games I did see.

I didn't think England reacted very well to conceding an equaliser either in this game or against Colombia.

I will caveat this by stating that I only saw the second half of both the Colombia and Croatia games and didn't see the Sweden game, but I thought Harry Kane was really poor in the games I did see.

He should have taken a couple of chances against Croatia, although his performance won't have been helped by the defender's attempt to break his ribs early in the game. The failure of an absurdly weak referee to even issue a yellow card meant that they knew they could continue to kick him all over Moscow for the remainder of the match.

I think another thing that came out of the game is our over-reliance on one player to score from open play. If Kane is having an off day, then we aren't often going to score unless it's a dead ball situation, and that's a problem. That may well lead to yet more discussion about Sterling's role in the side, hopefully without knee-jerk accusations of racism. But there are times when Alli looks like he's getting a free ride too.

I think a lack of a bona fide playmaker who can retain the ball in the central midfield meant Kane kept dragging back deeper rather than being a simple ''fox-in-the-box'' number 9, at the top of the formation. This also had the inevitable results of knackering him out.